Be the Peace You Wish to See in the World. Martin Luther King, Jr. I’ve been feeling sad lately. Sad about the injustice in the world and about the way we treat each other, individually and collectively. Although I certainly do not have the answers, I am reminded that we each play our own part…our own role in how we show up in the world. One thing that I do know for sure (sorry Oprah, but I too have some thoughts), is that how we treat others is not too distant from how we treat ourselves. When we’re quick to judge or criticize others, we’re often quick to allow our […] Read more »

I’m so glad you’ve joined us today, as we explore PANDAS and it’s effects on children. Have you ever heard of PANDAS, or has your child ever suffered from this? I’m not talking about the cute furry black and white bear at the zoo. PANDAS is an acronym for Pediatric Autoimmune Neuropsychiatric Disorder Associated with Streptococcus infection. Not all children, who are infected by Strep, will get PANDAS. Although I do believe that the percentage of children who are at risk for this is increasing, and it warrants a conversation. My intention is not to scare or worry you as a parent, but as a pediatric nurse practitioner and child […] Read more »

Are you feeling like life is passing you by? Me too! Did your life seem like a whirlwind before the holidays? Mine did too! Have you been able to slow down a bit in 2015 and recapture a bit of your life? I’m working on it! For those of you who follow my blog, and perhaps wonder where I’ve been since mid-December, I’ve been busy “doing and being”. I loved our family time during the holidays, and set my intention to soak up every moment. I also consciously planned a very low key slow week after the holidays to get back to life, organize, declutter, and let go of what […] Read more »

The holiday season is upon us and it is so easy to get caught up in all of the hustle bustle! Before we know it, the holidays have come and gone and we’re left to wonder “Where did the time go?” and “I wish we spent more family time together”. It’s not that there isn’t enough time, although it certainly feels that way, but that we are not conscious of how we’re spending our time. As a child and adolescent therapist, and parent coach, I often hear from kids that they wish their parents spent more time with them. Parents too complain that they feel they just don’t spend as […] Read more »

Parents, do you find yourself frustrated or angry with your children? Yes, we’ve all had those kind of days! What about the days when we get frustrated or angry with ourselves? I think we’ve all experienced our fair share of incessant thoughts and chatter that race through our mind each day, sometimes on overdrive. You’ve probably heard the saying “your thoughts become your beliefs…then you act from those beliefs”. Have you ever consciously stopped and examined your thoughts? Really stopped yourself in the middle of one of those thoughts? What if you took the time to push the pause button, before you acted on your thoughts? I wonder how you’d […] Read more »

PARENTS ARE YOU TIRED OF TRYING TO MAKE CHANGES, BUT YOU’RE GETTING THE SAME RESULTS??? Hey there parents! I would imagine that there is a lot going on in your busy lives! Don’t forget to stop (or at least pause), take a breath or two and soak up ALL the good in your life. Yes, I know sometimes it hard to see the good when you’re down in the parenting trenches! I had the pleasure of meeting eight amazing parents last week, who signed up, showed up and sold out my 6 week ScreamFree Parenting class! These brave parents not only enrolled and carved out the time to attend, but […] Read more »

For many years, parents have asked me to help them with their children’s behavior. As parents, we’ve all had our own experiences when our children misbehave or act out, and we’re easily reminded how frustrated we become. As parents, I’m sure we’ve all felt our own emotions take over when our child is melting down. Yet when our child is emotionally out of control, we too feel at a loss…a sense of powerlessness. At times we’re left to wonder how to get our own emotions under control, especially when our child cannot! As a child & adolescent therapist, parent coach and Mom, I too understand why parents are searching for […] Read more »

HEY BUSY PARENTS! As a parent coach, child therapist and pediatric nurse practitioner for over 25 years, the most common requests I get from busy moms and dads are: How do I get my child to listen and cooperate?!? Can you help me navigate transitions so that getting my kids out the door or into bed aren’t epic battles? How can I get more time for myself to relax and recharge while still being a great parent? These are brilliant questions and here’s something to know: all parents have them (including me, when I was in the sticky days of parenting) & you are definitely not alone. I remember the […] Read more »

For quite awhile I’ve wanted to have a conversation about child abuse…but something kept stopping me. I felt that it was an important conversation to have, but one that felt very heavy and dark. I realized that it also hit too close to home for me. I witnessed physical abuse of my brothers, and as the youngest child in my family, I felt powerless. I too experienced emotional abuse…the type of abuse that is hidden, that makes you wonder if it ever really happened…the kind of abuse that makes you doubt yourself. Recently, the subject of child abuse was presented to me, but in a way that I felt was […] Read more »